Air-brake apparatus.



No. 878,601. A PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908- H. F. BIGKEL. AIR BRAKE APPARATUS. APPLIGATI-ON FILED OUT. 15,1906.

parts;

ijihj'rrnn surefire-1s R E T OFFICEQ insurer r, BIOIK'EL;.' or rLiunrIELn, NEW messy, ASSIGNOR TO NEW YORK AIR BRAKE N6. m s.

"Ibollwhom mag concern:

lie 1t known that l, ileum l Brown, a

citizen or the United hit ates, :rusidini in Plaining desrj iition, in:connection with the acoompenying drawings, a specification, like letters on the. (llitWlZUfS re )resentin like I c: a

This ii'nrention relates to air brake apparatus, and has for its objeet to provide for the repi-ii. mrhnust of air. i'ronijthe brake cylintiers to render the release of the brakes very l5 prompt. i I

The invention is es}. useful when applied to toe straight an syston'i sup-h as is eoinmoniy used on switohing engines and under like hrnulitions, elthou-gh'no't limited to thatuse, and it consists principally in a valvular devioo' en'n' loyed in thepipe through Wl'iioh air is admitted to and exhausted from the lzaralu-zloylinder, end: operated in response to miven of air in. said. pipe from the g5 broke a iiinc to upon a vent direotl v to the atmosphere through which the air may osoapr; from the bra-lie cylinder to e'll'eot the pron'ipt, release ol'the brakes. I i l Figure Cl is a diagram showing an air brake 3o apparatus 'containing an embodiment of the invention; audl ig. 2 a sectional View of i the valvuhir applinneo by which the exhaust from the lli'itlfl! oylindors is ell'eotod. in lho diagram, ,l ig. 1, are re 'ir 7, 5 primripal no n ionnnis ol' hioomo'. equip: meet such as eonmaooiy employed upon switch ng (511g ms and oomprising o. straight air systennand also an uut-mpuiio system. which may he usodpwhou the locomotive 4 eoupled to a, tminand the brakes upon the ;tra1n are in service.

l I In the straight) on system; the ,ooinpressed fair for: o' 'ierating the brakes is contained in i the, ushal main reservoirs 2 from which air ,pass'e,s through the pipe 3 to the engineers fvalve 4-5 and thence to the pi po5 which oom- Jnunioates directly witli the brake cylinders ii, thfoso pertaining to the driving wheels of the locomotive only bring: shown in the diait) grain. v 1 The valvular appliance 8 is contained in i the pi 5 between theighgineens valve and the brake oylindergat any convenient point, being in the pipe through whieh air, llows into and out from the brake cylinders in the zlipparatus, ot-Whieh the follow- Specification of Letters Patent.

OOMPANRQA CORPORATION or NEW messy.

11 v 1 am nsnm APPARATUS.

Patehted Feb. 1 1, 1 90s.

Applieatioo on Qctober 15,1906. Serial No. assess.

rospeotive operations ofa-plpy'ing and re-. leasing the brakes, which. will be called the brake cylinder p1 pe. Referring to Flgikl, said valvular apphanoe coin-prises a body or shell havin passages 9 and 110 oon'nnunloating with t. e said brake eylmder plpe 5, the for n'ier on the side towards the engineers valve,

and the latter on the side towards the" brake cylinders, and the said valve shell is also pro vided with an outlet 12 leading dirertly to the atmosph'orr-s and terminating Within the shell in a valve seat. i

The osoape ofiair from the valve shellth'rohgh the passage ljis controlled by avalve 1.; normnlly hold seated by the"preusure in the brake cylinder pipe when air is admitted thereto for applying the brakes and retaining them applied, and cooperating with six-id valve is a piston or diaphragm 14 fitting loosolr in a'contrart-ed cylindrical portion 15 between the inlet 9 to the valve body and:

the main ohnmbor 16 in the valve body coins munioating with the outletli), using the terms inletv and foutlet with reference to the passage of air from the main reservoir and engineer's valve to the brake o' 'linders.

The piston 1.4 is movable relative to the valve 13, being shown as guided upon the' stem 17 thereof and pressed against a stop or shoulder 18 by a spring 19 whioh admits of the movement of piston 14 towards the valve 13 when the pressure at the inlet side ll is greater than at the outlet side 10, as is nted the the case when air is being a(.lnii'tted through the brake cylinders to apply the brakes.

The operation is as follows: Normally when the brnl es are not applied, there is no pressure in the lH'ithTO'CYllIltGl pipe, and the valve 13 remains seated by gravity or may remain open. When, however, air is admitted to the brake oyli ndenpipo to apply the brakes, it 'aets'upon the piston 14, tending to move thev same towards the valve 13, "and through the spring 19 to press the said valve to its seat, and. thus close the exhaust pas- 12. The rush of air through the pipe 5 to tho braho oylindor moves the piston 14 into the enlarged portion of the ol'laolber H3, and thus all'ords sullioiont freedom l'or the ntssau'o of air through the outlet 10 to the lirako cylinders to a pp ly the brakes promptly. As soon as the movement 10f" the air ceases, the pressure upon the pist0n14 becomes praetfioally balanced, but the Valve 13 re-" mains seated by the pressure in theb'rake cylinder. When it is desired to release the brakes, the engineers valve is operated, as usual, to permit an to escape from the brake cylinder ipe, and in this operation, the )res- 1 sure on t 1e piston 14 ot the an coming ack valve 13 and thus open the large exhaust passage 12 directly to the atmosphere, so that the air from the brake cylinders and train pipe will be very quickly exhausted and the brakes released much more promptly than if the only exhaust passage provided \vas'that through the engineers valve. valvular appliance thus operates in response The to the How ol air towards or from the brake cylinder, and it obviously is equally adapted k opening; and a'plston yieldingly connected to operate in the automatic system, and may be applied as shown at St) in the brake cylinder pipe or duct leading from the triple valve 20 and auxiliary reservoir 21 of the automatic system when used. \Vhcn thus applied in the pipe 50, through which air is su )plied to and exhausted from the brake cy inders, the operation is the same as before described in the straight air system. The movement of air from the auxiliary reservoir through the pipe 5t) to'the brake cylinders in applying the brakes causes the exhaust valve 13'to be closed, it' not already closed, and the air in passing to the brake cylinder moves the piston 14 towards the valve 13 and into the enlarged chamber 16, so that the flow ofair to the brake cylinder is not materially obstructed. When, howeveijthe triple valve moves to the position to exhaust air from the brake cylinder through the pipe 50, the back flow of air from the brake cylinder acting upon the piston 14 lifts the valve 13 and thus opens the exhaust passage 12 from the brake cylinderdirect to the atmosphere which affords a more direct escape of the air from the brake cylinders than that afiorded through the usual exhaust through the triple valve.

(laims Thecmnbinatiou with the brake cylinder of an air brake apparatus and the pipe or duct through which air is supplied thereto and exhausted therefrom; of thevalvular appliance communicating with said brake cylinder supply and exhaust pipe. and .provided with an exhaust opening to the atmosphere; a. valve controlling the said exhaust with said valve and movable relative thereto,

said piston being moved relat-ive to said valve in response to flow of air towards the l')I'tLl T( cyhm er, and being engaged with the said ,valve and operated to open the same in response to flow ot air from the brake cylinder,

mat RY It-BICKEL; I

Witnesses:

(7. E. Lmcn, C. S HENRY.

presence of I 

